Checkmate
by Winifred
Summary: A short "could have happened" fic with Lennier attempting to convince Marcus not to save Ivanova durring "Endgame"


This story takes place during "Endgame". It's about it Lennier tries to convince Marcus not to go back to B5 to save Ivanova's life. I actually wrote this 4 years ago and am just now getting around to uploading it. Don't sue me, I'm not making money off of this.  
  
And so it begins……  
  
  
  
"Checkmate", by Jen, moshi.moshi@vampirehunter.com  
  
  
  
"Marcus, you shouldn't do this." Lennier protested, frustrated.  
  
"I have to!" Marcus exclaimed.  
  
"Do you?"  
  
"I love her."  
  
"That's no reason to do something like this."  
  
Marcus started to walk away.  
  
"Wait. I cannot let you do this."  
  
Marcus turned back around. "Why? Who's to say my life is that much more important than hers!?"  
  
"You'll regret this." Lennier paused, then continued again. "If it were one of us..."  
  
He trailed off.  
  
"You're right! But it's me, not one of you!" Marcus replied, vehemently.  
  
"How are you any different?"  
  
"You don't know what I've suffered. What I've lost."  
  
"I can only imagine. But the Shadow Attack on your home planet wasn't your fault. You have to accept that."  
  
"I can't."  
  
"So you would rather die than carry the guilt."  
  
"Yes. So many people I've loved have died because of me. I don't want another one to die either."  
  
"Marcus, this wasn't your fault. No matter how much you think you could have, no one could have prevented what happened to her. And nothing could have prevented the Shadows from attacking the Arisia Colony."  
  
Marcus thought about it for a moment, betraying sadness with his gray eyes. "I don't think I could live with that."  
  
"So you would rather die."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"For Ivanova."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"She wouldn't have wanted you to die for her."  
  
"How do you know that?"  
  
"She doesn't love you, Marcus."  
  
Marcus turned around, again.  
  
"Look, Marcus, if you stay here and help with our attack against Clark, like she asked, Ivanova would die having her last wish granted."  
  
"I can't accept that."  
  
"You were there when she told Sheridan and the others to take the White Stars out to fight one last attack against the Earth Government. That's what she wanted."  
  
"No matter how many times you tell me that, I couldn't live with it."  
  
"Marcus, I am telling you as a friend, that this, SHE, is not worth dying for."  
  
"But if Susan dies then what would I have left to live for?"  
  
"You'll just have to make a new life. Give up all your loses and find someone new. Find someone who could love you back that could finally make you happy."  
  
"Oh, and you? Do you have someone you love who loves you back?"  
  
"That is not the point…"  
  
"Yes, it is. You're madly in love with Delenn, yet you know that she could never love you back. Yet you wait, with the foolish hope that she'll leave Sheridan and run to you!"  
  
"That is not true."  
  
"So you say with your mouth. But your heart feels differently. I can see it every time you look at her."  
  
"My feelings for Delenn aren't what at question here. What we're talking about is if you are willing to die so that you can release all your guilt!"  
  
It hardly took Marcus a second to notice Lennier's hypocrisy. "Would you still die for Delenn? You told me a year ago that you would die for her."  
  
"Yes, I would."  
  
"Isn't that the same thing?"  
  
"You want to die because..."  
  
"...Because I don't want the only person I really care for about to die either. And you don't want the one woman you love to die..."  
  
"Because I couldn't live without her." Lennier consented.  
  
"You see? We're not as different as you thought!"  
  
"All right." Lennier sighed. "I'll scramble the sensor readings so that the Agamemnon won't be able to see your shuttle. If you leave now, you should make it to Babylon 5 in time. Marcus...."  
  
Marcus paused. "Yes?"  
  
"Goodbye."  
  
So Marcus left, took a shuttle and headed toward Babylon 5, so that he could make up in his death what he felt he should have done in his life.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Hey, that wasn't so bad, was it? I hope not. At least it was short.  
  
Moshi.moshi@vampirehunter.com 


End file.
